THE BASICS FOR PAIRING FOOD AND WINE

One of the main components of my role as a sommelier in a dining room is to assist guests in selecting a wine to pair with their dinner. When the pairing works, often the question is asked, “How did I do that?” Truth be told, it is not an exact science but a collection of guidelines that I use to complement food and wine.

The first one is easy: white wine with fish, red wine with meats. The lighter the dish, the lighter the wine style should be. This is a great rule of thumb that will guide you through any wine list.

Next would be to either complement or contrast elements of the dish. For example, for a filet with a rich potato accompaniment and mushroom sauce, select a full-bodied red, like cabernet, malbec or syrah. Red wines that contain a lot of tannins and have a good backbone of acidity will cut through the richness of this dish. Conversely, if you have halibut with a lemon sauce, then look to a high-acid white to pair with the lemon components of this dish.

Now to tackle more difficult items that can be tricky: stinky cheese, salad, dessert and asparagus. As a general rule, pair stinky cheese with sweet wine. The saltiness of the cheese and the sweetness of a late harvest riesling or sauterne-style wine are a match made in heaven. The sweetness of the dessert wine softens the smell of the cheese and brings out the underlying flavors of the cheese. Stay away from a big tannic red, as it will encourage the cheese to taste like it smells.

Asparagus contains a sulfur compound known as methyl mercaptan. This compound can make wines taste metallic or artificially sweet. You need a high-acid white to pair with this devilish vegetable. A few suggestions would be New Zealand sauvignon blanc, gruner veltliner (my go-to pairing) or even a sparkling wine. If the asparagus is grilled, pinot noir is a great option for a red. Do not pair asparagus with big chardonnays and tannic reds; they are wine pairing rivals that will leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Most people do not think of the salad course as a wine-friendly part of the meal, however, finding a wine that is higher in acidity than the vinegar that is used in the dressing works best as a pairing. If you pair a wine that is lower in acidity, the result will just make the wine taste flat. Rosés are great in the summer with an heirloom tomato salad, Pinot grigios from Italy work well, or try a muscadet from the Loire. The rosé would also be great with a grilled asparagus salad, as long as it’s a dry style.

Lastly, find a dessert wine that is sweeter than the dessert. There is a big misconception that dessert wines are syrupy sweet and they certainly do exist. However, most great dessert wines, including sauternes, TBAs (aka trockenbeerenauslese wines), malmsey madeira, that are rich in texture provide an underlying backbone of acidity that keeps them for being too sweet.

Sometimes it is more important to know what does not work in wine pairings than what does. Here are a few of my “No-Way Rules.” Do not pair:

• Big tannic reds with raw oysters. The wine will have a metallic flavor.

• Tannic reds with spicy or fishy dishes (like salmon, anchovies, etc.). The food will seem overly spicy. A jalapeño will taste like a habanero.

• A tannic red really brings out the fishy flavors in a fish. This pairing makes the fish taste old or overly fishy.

• Delicate wines with robust dishes. The wine gets lost in the flavors of the dish.

The best way to know if a pairing works is to try the food and wine together. At the end of your sip and bite, the combination of the wine and food should elevate the flavors of both the dish and wine. Some of my favorite pairings are truffles with aged Barolo, sushi with a kabinett riesling, malmsey madeira with bread pudding made with dried fruits, and goat cheese with sauvignon blanc.

With all that being said, there is no right or wrong way to pair wines, and often the best pairing is the one a guest likes. If chardonnay is what you love with your filet, then that is the perfect pairing for you.

Lisa Redwine is the director of restaurants and beverage programs for the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, The Shores and The Marine Room restaurants.